Hi,

My boyfriend and I will be visiting Tokyo for the first time July 1-9.

I'm trying to find a reasonable hotel in Shinjuku or Shubiya... but no luck.

Can anyone suggest something that's good location-wise and easy to get to?

Thanks!

Also, any tips on what to do would be great! We're both 30.

hellerls:

Try the Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku

http://www.keioplaza.com/index.html

The hotel is conveniently located in Shinjuku and is easy to get to from the airports via Limosine Bus Service.

Aloha!

Thanks so much!

I think it might be a bit too expensive.

But overall question... i see a lot of hotels offering "twin bed rooms" for 2 people. Is this one bed... or two twin beds? How do i know if it's a queen or king?

twin bed rooms are rooms with 2 twin beds. If you want to snuggle, you might want a double, or else a Japan style room where you can have them put the futons together.

What sort of room price are you hoping for?

around 125 a night...

The Washington Hotel in Shinjuku fits into your price range. Popular hotel with budget minded travelers. It also is serviced by the Airport Limo Bus but the rooms are alot smaller. See website

http://www.wh-rsv.com/english/shinjuku/index.html

Hope this helps

Aloha!

Hi

My wife and I went to Tokyo in May last year. We decided to stay in the Akasaka district. This is in the middle of everything...a few minutes on the metro you will be in Ginza, Shibuya and Shinjuku. I have posted a trip report with pictures and links on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/japan_tokyo.htm . Maybe you can find some useful information there. Get in touch if you have any questions

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

Reasonable can be very subjective, but what about Shinagawa? It's right there on the Yamanote line which would give you access to Shibuya and Shinjuku. It isn't as trendy popular as the previous stations and it has plenty of hotels and restaruants. If you're specifically wanting a name, the only hotel I can think of off hand is the Prince. They've got a selection of rooms there. If you're budget I'd recommend their annex building that's more for business travelers. If memory serves me right it's about $120/nite for one of those rooms (it's been a couple of years though...) If Shinagawa isn't to your liking you could always go down the tracks to Yokohama of Kawasaki. That'd still be close enough, although I think Shinagawa may be your best bet.

I once stayed at Century Southern Plaza Hotel next to the South exit of the Shinjuku station and it was fantastic. The decor was beautiful and I had a view of the Fuji Mountain. The staff went out of their way to help us with everything. The hotel sits on the 30+ floors of a building. It used to be around your price range when the yen was low but I am not sure now.

Another hotel I stayed at is the Sunroute hotel in Shinjuku. It's also very close to the station. It's a business hotel (ie not fancy and small rooms) but the staff was great and evrything was sugically clean (just like most things in Japan).

You might check out a place called Hotel Excellent in Ebisu. It is a hotel for business people and costs about $100 a night. This means there is very little in terms of tourist assistance from the front desk, and the rooms are fairly small and basic, but you are in an amazing neighborhood. Location is everything. My wife and I just stayed there in December and we were so happy to be right in the middle of a really, cool neighborhood with lots of small independent clothing stores and consignment shops. It is a very stylish neighborhood, about a 20-minute walk from Shubiya, in the other direction from Shinjuku. There is also a subway station right outside the hotel. The only other hotel in the neighborhood of Ebisu is the Westin, which looks great, but is very expensive. If you're interested, check out my trip report, where I talk a lot about restaurants and things to do in Tokyo. Another great neighborhood is Naka Meguro, but there are no hotels there; it is about a 15-minute walk from Ebisu, or 2 stops on the subway.

Thank you everyone!

Can you suggest any day-trips outside the city that don't take too long?

I think you can do Hakone in one day, though I stayed there for one night at a Japanese style hot spring resort (it was a lifetime experience). Another alternative is Kamakura--I have not been there but will do so in my next trip. Some people may suggest Nikko, but it may be a bit too far for a day trip.

I believe there are many threads on any of these locations. Check another thread called something like "Favorite things about Tokyo...".

Check this thread in Craigslist:
http://forums.craigslist.org/?ID=37983634